The present invention relates to protective mouthguards commonly used by athletes to prevent injuries. More particularly, the present invention provides a protective mouthguard which can be formed directly by the user, thus eliminating the need for a custom made mouthguard. The present invention further provides a blank useful in making such a direct-formed mouthguard and a method of making the mouthguard.
In the United States, protective mouthguards are required at all amateur levels in several sports, including football, ice hockey, women's field hockey and men's field lacrosse. A properly fitted mouthguard provides significant protection against injuries to the teeth and soft tissues of the oral cavity and significantly reduces forces that may cause neck injuries, concussions and jaw fractures.
A custom made mouthguard formed on a plaster model of a user's maxillary or mandibular detention is preferred by the majority of athletes. However, custom made mouthguards must be constructed and fitted by a dentist, dental technician or professional sports trainer under the supervision of a dentist and the resulting high cost and limited availability of such mouthguards has precluded their widespread use. Instead, most athletes choose to use either a direct-formed thermoplastic mouthguard in which a stock plastic mouthguard is softened in hot water, placed in the users mouth and formed by the application of bite pressure, or a ready-made stock mouthguard used without the need for any fitting, both of which are low in cost and readily available at most retail sports outlets.
Unfortunately, stock mouthguards and prior art direct-formed thermoplastic mouthguards are deficient in several important respects. Both types of mouthguards are generally ill-fitting and uncomfortable. Such mouthguards are often characterized by insufficient tissue coverage which results in a fit so loose that the mouthguard must be held in place by constant bite pressure, resulting in decreased user ventilation, or by attachment to a face guard, an option not available for athletes playing basketball, soccer, baseball and all other sports where face guards are not used or required. In other cases, the tissue coverage provided by stock mouthguards or direct-formed thermoplastic mouthguards is often so excessive that the oro-facial muscle attachments tend to dislodge the mouthguard.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a well fitted, comfortable mounthguard which is formed directly by the user through the application of bite pressure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mouthguard of the direct-formed type which remains firmly in place within the user's mouth without the application of constant bite pressure or attachment to an associated face guard.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method whereby a user quickly and easily make a well fitted and comfortable direct-formed mouthguard.